Gavin Harrison here!

Hey Gavin,

A few questions again.

Which snaredrum do you use on Cheating the Polygraph?

The last line in My Ashes, the SAAIILLLLSSSS thingy.
Is that Steven or John singing?

Cheers,

Francis
 
Gavin,

I first heard of you through this forum. I enjoy your playing very much. Wish you much continued success. It's great to have someone share their time and talent with his fellow drummers on this forum.

Thanks

Pete in Boston
 
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Hello again Gavin,

One of my favourite PT tracks is 'So Called Friend' and there are some wonderful little fills in there that I'm trying to get my head around from the 'live' version. Two in particular are played just after the line 'What kind of friend are you...you're so cold' where (first time around) you are playing between the bell and bow of the ride/hi-hat/snare/BD, and second time around you play a flurry of beats between the ride and closed hi-hat with accents on the bell. If you are able to pintpoint the sections I'm referring to could you possibly chart how these are played for me please?

Many thanks in advance.
 
Hi Gavin,

My first appear in this forum. Recently i got the DROP album through Burningshed -by the way without the artwork download file- and in the last month, is the only music i hear. Incredible work. Brilliant fusion and a endless drum lesson.

As i live in Sevilla -Spain- we have a local song in a flamenco-style called "sevillanas" that goes in straight 3/4, just in the same way that the clap section in TRAINS. Gavin ¿how came that rhythmic idea..? and ¿how goes the song?, because seems to be in 12/8 with snare in 2 and 4, but if i believe the guitar sometimes goes to other place. ¿illusion?

I am that we can call "weekend drummer", but who not avoid the chance to play better, and that´s why i love your books/dvds -great job-, cause i´m learning interesting and fresh things that makes my drumming richer .

I really love the high musicality of your playing, and how tasteful you always are.

Thank you very very much for all, and my best wishes -dying for know about the new Crimson-

Rhythmically "illusioned",
Gustavo
 
Hi Gus,

we have a local song in a flamenco-style called "sevillanas" that goes in straight 3/4, just in the same way that the clap section in TRAINS. Gavin ¿how came that rhythmic idea..?


That was Steven's idea - the song was written before I joined the band.

¿how goes the song?, because seems to be in 12/8 with snare in 2 and 4, but if i believe the guitar sometimes goes to other place. ¿illusion?

This does have a kind of rhythmic illusion in it. The song is in 4/4 (with a snare on 2 & 4) but many people misunderstand the downbeat when they first hear it (me included). What appears to be the "one" is actually the "2&". When I first transcribed the song I thought the verses were 5/8 + 3/8 but when I understood it - I realised that I just got the downbeat wrong and so it's all in straight 4/4 right up to the part where the band stops and the 'clapping' section begins.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hey Gavin! Hope your break's going well (although i'm sure you're all keeping relatively busy)

My band is getting prepared to play some live shows (rehearsing, etc), and in order to reproduce all the additional sounds that we won't be able to play in a live environment, we're looking at in-ear systems and playing along to a click (similar to what you guys do).

I've looked at several of the Shure systems, and i expect to pay about 500 dollars for each base station (not for myself of course, no need for me to be wireless), but i'm iffy about the quality of the included earbuds. What do you prefer, and why? I probably won't be able to use the same system (since we're somewhat poor), but perhaps your advice could point us in the right direction.

I personally have a set of Shure SE310 in-ears, and i'll probably use those with a little headphone amp for monitor mix. I know you've all got that Yamaha board on the stage for mixing, we still need to figure something out for the wireless system mix.

I appreciate any advice you can give! You're a huge inspiration to me, and the rest of the members in my band.

take care
-chris
 
Hi xopethx,

here's my story with IEM.
When PT decided to start using 'in ear monitoring' (IEM) we went to a place in London to have some custom fitted molds made - and the idea was to buy the best ones available (Ultimate Ears). When we got there the guy talked us out of getting the uber expensive ones and go for the custom molds that will house any generic walkman type headphone buds. When I got them (a couple of weeks later) I was disappointed by the lack of quality of the sound. ALL the high frequencies were missing due to the fact that the ear buds don't point directly down your ear canal. That meant that I struggled to hear the cymbals/hi hat etc...BUT as a strange side effect to that - my ears didn't ring anymore (in a tinnitus way)..which was REALLY GOOD.
So I turned the overhead mics up pretty high in my mix to try to compensate. This is a sound I've got used to. It's not a great sound but I can hear the drum frequencies up to a mid range acoustically - and the highs are accentuated through the headphones.

Curiosity got the better of me last year so I went and got the uber expensive Ultimate Ears UE10's fitted (cost just over $1000). They sound amazing - but I found them very hard work because they cut out SO much of the outside sound you can't even have a conversation with someone standing right next to you. So you feel VERY cut off and then totally reliant on the mics...which is fine - but I couldn't tell how loud the headphones were and became scared at turning them up too much and damaging my ears.
Plus I couldn't really hear my drums acoustically at all - and (probably because I've been playing for so many years) found it to disconcerting. I like to feel the drums nice and loud (and 'in my face') and when I had the UE10's up that loud - my ears would start to ring again. Plus I found I was hitting the drums too hard to try to get that feeling back of the drums hitting me directly in the face.

I know there are UE7's which have holes in them to allow outside sounds to bleed through, but I've got used to my original headphones now and I actually like the fact that my ears don't ring anymore due to the lack of high frequencies. Also I deliberately take off all the high frequencies of my click sounds (anything above about 7khz is off).

I've got to add to all that - if you're using IEM and don't carry your own monitor desk with you - you can be in for a pretty rough ride using the 'in house' monitor desk and engineer who doesn't know your music.

We quickly gave up with wireless packs. All of us go hard wired. It sounds better, has no interference and no battery related problems. We're not the kind of performers who go running all over the stage anyway.

My UE10's are unbelievably good for listening to my iPod on a plane trip though.

Cheers
Gavin
 
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Hello again Gavin,

One of my favourite PT tracks is 'So Called Friend' and there are some wonderful little fills in there that I'm trying to get my head around from the 'live' version. Two in particular are played just after the line 'What kind of friend are you...you're so cold' where (first time around) you are playing between the bell and bow of the ride/hi-hat/snare/BD, and second time around you play a flurry of beats between the ride and closed hi-hat with accents on the bell. If you are able to pintpoint the sections I'm referring to could you possibly chart how these are played for me please?

Many thanks in advance.

Well, I wasn't sure which version you are listening to, so I will post up two different versions. These are from the Rockpalast 2005 concert. I am also going to do the same section from the "Arriving Somewhere" DVD. I'll post those when I'm finished, so stay tuned...


Terry





 
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Thanks for doing this, Terry. I have always wondered about the exact sticking of those fills.

Just out of curiosity, what program do you use for notation? I have been wanting to start tabbing out some of my drum parts but haven't found a good program to use.

Thanks...
 
Hi Gavin

Have you ever tried the 13" k/z hihat?.

Talking about cymbals: With the success in the forum of your ideas about custom-made splashes...Are you considering the money you´re loosing for not became into a splash-maker...? -just joking-

Best wishes
 
Hi Terry,

Thanks for that . They are exactly what I was looking for. The version I was referring to was from 'Arriving Somewhere' but from my untrained-ear perspective I'm sure the tab will be the same.

Thanks again Terry, much appreciated.


Well, I wasn't sure which version you are listening to, so I will post up two different versions. These are from the Rockpalast 2005 concert. I am also going to do the same section from the "Arriving Somewhere" DVD. I'll post those when I'm finished, so stay tuned...


Terry
 
Hi Gus,

Have you ever tried the 13" k/z hihat?.

Yes I played them for many years in the 1990's. Very nice too.

Hi 12:5

can you tell me where the illusion in futile starts and how it works?
i cannot hear it, there are so many crazy rhythms i don't know which one^^


The whole song is in 4/4 from beginning to end - except the second bar of the chorus pattern (which is a four bar cycle) is always a 3/4 bar. Finally the bar before the outro with the big fill is one bar of 5/4. Try tapping your foot in quarter notes and count through the whole piece. It's quite a ride!!!

Which version of Futile do you have?

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hi xopethx,

here's my story with IEM.
When PT decided to start using 'in ear monitoring' (IEM) we went to a place in London to have some custom fitted molds made - and the idea was to buy the best ones available (Ultimate Ears). When we got there the guy talked us out of getting the uber expensive ones and go for the custom molds that will house any generic walkman type headphone buds. When I got them (a couple of weeks later) I was disappointed by the lack of quality of the sound. ALL the high frequencies were missing due to the fact that the ear buds don't point directly down your ear canal. That meant that I struggled to hear the cymbals/hi hat etc...BUT as a strange side effect to that - my ears didn't ring anymore (in a tinnitus way)..which was REALLY GOOD.
So I turned the overhead mics up pretty high in my mix to try to compensate. This is a sound I've got used to. It's not a great sound but I can hear the drum frequencies up to a mid range acoustically - and the highs are accentuated through the headphones.

Curiosity got the better of me last year so I went and got the uber expensive Ultimate Ears UE10's fitted (cost just over $1000). They sound amazing - but I found them very hard work because they cut out SO much of the outside sound you can't even have a conversation with someone standing right next to you. So you feel VERY cut off and then totally reliant on the mics...which is fine - but I couldn't tell how loud the headphones were and became scared at turning them up too much and damaging my ears.
Plus I couldn't really hear my drums acoustically at all - and (probably because I've been playing for so many years) found it to disconcerting. I like to feel the drums nice and loud (and 'in my face') and when I had the UE10's up that loud - my ears would start to ring again. Plus I found I was hitting the drums too hard to try to get that feeling back of the drums hitting me directly in the face.

I know there are UE7's which have holes in them to allow outside sounds to bleed through, but I've got used to my original headphones now and I actually like the fact that my ears don't ring anymore due to the lack of high frequencies. Also I deliberately take off all the high frequencies of my click sounds (anything above about 7khz is off).

I've got to add to all that - if you're using IEM and don't carry your own monitor desk with you - you can be in for a pretty rough ride using the 'in house' monitor desk and engineer who doesn't know your music.

We quickly gave up with wireless packs. All of us go hard wired. It sounds better, has no interference and no battery related problems. We're not the kind of performers who go running all over the stage anyway.

My UE10's are unbelievably good for listening to my iPod on a plane trip though.

Cheers
Gavin

Hi Gavin, thanks so much for your help! One thing though - when you say that "all of us are hard wired", does that mean that Steven, Colin, and John all have wires trailing down themselves, running offstage? I'm a bit confused as to how that works, especially when they want to walk on and offstage!

thanks once more
-chris
 
hi gavin
yeah i tried to count the timesignatures before but as i said i couldn't find out so i gave up disillusioned ;-)
i have the rockpalastversion as well as the one which is on the futile ep
by the way i find the liveversion to be better as it is with almost all of porcupine tree's songs because it grooves even more than the studioversion...
 
Hi xopethx,

does that mean that Steven, Colin, and John all have wires trailing down themselves, running offstage?

When Steve and Colin get on stage they plug in their headphones. Colin has a little headphone amp on the floor by his pedal board - Steve has a double lead that serves his guitar and headphones. His headphone amp is round the back of his guitar cabinet. Actually John still does use a wireless pack.

Hi drumher,

At about 4.20 to 4.40 it is in 7/4 or 7/8(then with overriding Ride cymbal), is it right?


The 7/8 section starts at 3:53 - and there's a quarter note override on the ride cymbal

There I want to understand your fills, it sounds like sixtuplets with spacings in four...(?)


The fills in that section are 32nd notes - mostly groups of 5.

Mostly you start with the fills after three quarternots so you´ve got time for one 4/4 bar (?)

No it's all in 7 - I don't think of the fills in 4/4.

Hi 12:5,

yeah i tried to count the timesignatures before but as i said i couldn't find out so i gave up disillusioned ;-)

You need to see it written out - and then you'd understand how it's all in 4/4. Sounds like another job for the great Terry Branam.

Cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin,

I'd like to know what's the exact complete PATH of the signals of your drums from the mikes (that i know) up to your Mac for recording in your home studio.

(ps: r u planning any gig in Italy in the nearest future?)

Ciao and thanks.
 
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